


Really Quiet Engine

by MagdielShiranui



Category: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, OC, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-02 14:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12728055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagdielShiranui/pseuds/MagdielShiranui
Summary: A new engine has come to the island of Sodor all the way across the sea.





	1. Journey To New York

Here on the Island Of Sodor, trains come in many shapes and sizes. Many of them pull coaches and pull freight all around the Island, from Tidmouth Sheds or even as far as the Mainland. Many times, however, some trains get into severe accidents, causing delays and confusion for everyone on the island. It is a hard job for Sir Topham Hat to handle, switching trains about, but he has been doing this for years. It has become second nature to him.   
The Fat Controller sat in his office, signing some paperwork from a few clients that he has been speaking with for the past few months. He is looking into buying another train for his railway. One that is reliable and would always be on time to either make deliveries or pull coaches. He’s had his eye on one from New York that used to pull coaches and freight from New York to Chicago in the United States. He would have to make the journey there to inspect the train and see it for himself, but he suspects that it will be very useful for him in the long run. Although, he will first need someone to run the Railway while he is gone. Best to take care of that first before he leaves.   
Sir Topham Hat heard a familiar whistle outside. He looked outside his window and spotted Thomas pulling the freight cars. He had stopped to talk to Henry for a bit. Sir Topham Hat smiled a bit. He was proud of the big happy family on his railway. Everyone got along fine, if not with a few mishaps and misbehaviors. He hopes that the new engine will get along just fine with the other engines. While he had some trains that were unfriendly, such as a few of the diesels and some of the steam engines, most of them were harmless.   
“Right then. I’ll see about the new engine.” Sir Topham Hat fixed his suit and started to work on finding someone to run his railway while he was gone.  
Several weeks later, Sir Topham Hat arrived in New York by plane. It was late at night, the moon shining bright against the glowing lights of the city. He grabbed a map in the airport after grabbing his luggage and checked for any train lines that would take him where he needed to go. The Fat Controller looked the map over. He spotted the New York Transit Museum where the engine was located. Let’s see here. He thought. The Airtrain will take me to Howard Beach. What can I take to the museum?   
“Can I help you sir?” A voice broke Sir Topham Hat out of his thoughts. He turned and saw a travel agent standing behind him. She was a short and stout woman, well groomed though her uniform looked a little wrinkled.   
“Ah yes.” Sir Topham Hat fixed his suit. “I am looking to see where the Airtrain was. And, if possible, I wish to look for a way to get to the New York Transit Museum.”  
“Alright. May I?” The travel agent extended her hand. Sir Topham Hat handed the map over to her. “Since the stop is Howard Beach, you are looking to get to the Transit Museum in Brooklyn correct?”  
“Yes I am.”   
“Okay. When you get off the stop of Howard Beach, you will walk for a bit and then take the A Train. You will stop at Jay St - MetroTech Station. However, you can take a Taxi there if you’d like.”  
“That’s an idea.” The Fat Controller took the map and folded it. He put it in his front pocket and grabbed his suitcase. “Where do the taxis file up?”  
The travel agent pointed to the doors in front of her leading to outside the terminal. Outside, Sir Topham could see the taxis lined up and people hailing several of them over.   
“Thank you, ma’am!” Sir Topham Hat called as he rushed out the door with his luggage. He waited a bit before spotting a yellow taxi that was unoccupied. He hurried over to the driver, who helped him put the luggage in the trunk of his car. Once inside the car, Sir Topham Hat told the driver to take him to his hotel that was in Midtown Manhattan. The driver took him there and helped him unload his luggage. He charged The Fat Controller for the ride and went about his way. When he checked into his hotel room, Sir Topham Hat headed straight for the room, showered, dressed and went straight to bed. The ride over to New York was bumpy. He slightly blamed the pilot for making the ride bumpy, but you can never control what the weather will be like. He did warn of turbulence of course.   
Sir Topham Hat scoffed. He turned over in his bed and shut off the light. Just like it, he was out.   
The next morning, Sir Topham Hat woke up early to get down to business. He ate breakfast down in the lobby and then headed out the door, making sure he had his key to get back into his room. Sir Topham Hat hailed a taxi over, telling him where he needed to go, but the taxi left.   
“Bother.” Sir Topham Hat scoffed. He hailed another one, but that one also left. It is usually tough to grab a taxi to drive to the next borough over during rush hour. Sir Topham Hat looked around a bit. He spotted a staircase leading to the subway. He almost brushed it off when he saw that the A Train was one of the trains that would take him where he needed to go. It may be a long ride there however. Yet, it would also be a long ride towards Brooklyn and even longer looking for a taxi to take him there. If only I was back in my railway.  
The A Train was full as usual. The longest subway train route in all of New York was packed to the brim with passengers. Sir Topham Hat was lucky enough to snag himself a seat in the train, but now he had to deal with a sleeping passenger to the right of him and another one taking up most of the space with his newspaper. The train slowed to a stop and Sir Topham Hat checked the signs on the station.   
“Canal Street/6th Avenue.” The announcer read. “Transfer is available to the C and E Trains.”   
“Four more stops.” Sir Topham Hat groaned. He wiped his brow with his handkerchief and checked the map again. “Four more stops.  
After a few delays due to train traffic, Sir Topham Hat finally arrived at the Jay Street-Metrotech Station. He checked his pocket watch and sighed in relief. He arrived early enough for the meeting. Only thing is that the museum did not open until 10 AM.   
It was only 7:45 AM.   
Sir Topham Hat knocked on the door. A guardsman opened the door for him.   
“Ah sir. You are early!” The guard said. “We were expecting you at 9AM.”  
“I am.” Sir Topham Hat beamed. “I always tell the engines on my railway to be on time for their jobs. I need to do the same and make an example.”  
“Hey, I understand ya. I always tell my kids the same thing.” The guard agreed. “Early to bed, early to rise makes for good time and success.”  
“Of course, of course. They learn to be punctual and make their co-workers proud.”  
“That’s what I always say, but with teachers.” The Guard checked in his computer and called on the phone. “Yes sir. He is here waiting for you right now… Alright sir.”  
The guard hung up the phone. “Coffee?”  
“No thank you. I had a strong cup this morning.”   
“Very well. The manager will be with you shortly.”  
Just as he said that, the Manager stepped out of his office and fixed his tie. He wore a very nice suit, but it made his skin look paler than what it already was. He turned to Sir Topham Hat and smiled.   
“Good morning Sir Topham Hat. Welcome to the New York Transit Museum!” The Manager held out his hand. Sir Topham Hat shook it and got straight to business.   
“You know what I am here for, my good man.” Sir Topham Hat asserted. “Let’s get down to it. I wish to see the engine immediately.”  
“Yes… Sir.”  
“What’s wrong?”   
“Oh, I hate that you made the trip all the way over here and I’ve nothing to show.” The Manager rubbed his neck, clearly disappointed in himself.   
“What do you mean?” Sir Topham Hat pressed. Anger began to boil in his stomach. “What of the train that you spoke of?”  
“We do have the train, it’s just-“  
“I demand to know why you have nothing to show for me.” Sir Topham Hat puffed out his chest. “If you have the train, take me to it immediately. Otherwise, I will ask that you pay for my plane ticket, hotel, taxi and Metrocard that I used to get here only for you to waste my time!”  
“We have the engine, sir.” The Manager reassured The Fat Controller. “However, she is not here in the museum. That’s no issue. But the engine herself is different in our records. She is a young engine, but she was made using a few of the parts from the engine that we spoke of over the phone.”  
“What of that engine?”  
“Scrapped… Long gone, sir. We recovered what we could from the older engine, but all we have are records of the goods she’s pulled, when she was made, etcetera.” Sir Topham Hat scoffed. He turned about to head out the door, but the Manager stopped him.   
“She is still of a big help, sir!” He pressed. “She is a very strong engine and like the train before her, still pulls goods from New York to Chicago. Sometimes farther than that. Have a look at her. And then you can truly judge her for yourself. Granted she is a bit shy, but trust me. She’ll warm right up to you.”  
Sir Topham Hat scratched his chin. It was pointless to head back to Sodor without another engine. He would have nothing to show for his travels. That would not be very useful of him at all. Sir Topham Hat let out a groan. He turned to the Manager, his tired eyes looking at him, deadpan.  
“Take me to her.”


	2. Inspection

It has been a few weeks since the trip to New York. As well as the trip to Chicago to actually see the engine. Sir Topham Hat paced around impatiently in his office. He was waiting for the informant to call his phone with news of the new engine’s arrival. He patted his brow wth his handkerchief and tried to distract himself from the wait. The man sat down, checking over clipboards and contracts that needed signing and organized them as best as he could. Now he was left with an organized office, but nothing to calm his excitement. The train was the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 1021. The esteemed engine has claimed to have gone over 100 MPH though granted, the Fat Controller know a certain other engine has gone faster. He does not promote going too fast on his railway as that leads to accidents and plenty of damage.   
A few hours later as the sun began to set, the phone rang. Sir Topham Hat raced to pick up the phone. He fumbled for it before getting a firm grip.  
“Good evening, Sir Topham Hat speaking.” A greeting he has spoken for years now it is practically memorized in his head. The voice on the other end gave him the most joyous news.  
“Splendid!” Sir Topham Hat cheered. “I’ll be right over very soon.”   
The Fat Controller headed straight for the door, not forgetting his hat of course. He started his car and drove towards Brendam Docks.   
Once he arrived at Brendam, Cranky had just finished unloading the engine onto the flatbed. The engine was covered in a thick cloth to protect her from the elements. A few moments later, the tender for the engine was unloaded as well. The workers cuppled them together as Sir Topham Hat flipped through his clipboard containing information about the engine. 

Type: New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 1021, (Renum 1920; originally 999)

Configuration: 4-4-0

Built: 1893

All seemed to be in order. However, the new engine needed to be sent to the Steamworks for an inspection. Best that his railway is kept in tip top shape and make sure that there was no problems on the way over to Sodor. The Fat Controller approached the flatbed where the new engine stood. Just as he did, Henry chuffed by him.   
“Henry!” The Fat Controller called after him. “You don’t have anymore jobs left, correct?”  
“No sir. Well, I do, and it’s to pull the Flying Kipper.” Henry responded. Henry was a green LMS Stanier 5MT mixed traffic engine and was very good at pulling loads that were much heavier than the other engines could handle. He would be able to take the new engine to the Steamworks for the inspection.  
“I’ll ask Emily if she can take it for you.” Sir Topham Hat reassured him. “Right now, I need you to take this flatbed to the Steamworks. This is a new engine who will join you all on the railway. Please make her feel welcome.”  
“A new engine?” Henry’s face lit up. He began to back away to line himself up to be coupled up to the flatbed. “Of course sir! I hope she likes it here! I can’t wait to truly meet her. Where is she from?”  
“She’s from New York. From America.” Sir Topham Hat chortled. “I’ll meet you at the Steamworks soon. I’ll give your job to Emily and head straight back.”  
“Very well, sir.” With that, the foreman blew his whistle and Henry was off. He headed past Sir Topham Hat and chuffed away towards the Steamworks. On the way there, the covering buffeted in the wind. The engine underneath got a glimpse of where she was and who was pulling her. She felt her boiler aching nervously and hoped the engine, Henry, did not notice her.   
“You’re going to love it here on the Island Of Sodor.” Henry spoke up. “It’ll be fun working with you too. You’ll probably get to meet everyone else tomorrow. They’ll give you a warm welcome.”  
The engine said nothing, but she did smile a bit. She wanted to say something, but the ride over to Sodor was tiresome. However, the engine did not want to sleep just yet. There was a lot she needed to get through for her inspection. Though she hoped that it would not take too long. She needed some sleep.   
Henry pulled into the Steamworks and blew his whistle. Victor and Kevin were tending to another engine when they heard Henry.   
“Special delivery!” Henry announced. “It’s the new engine that arrived!”   
“Ah! Wonderful. Luckily the night crew just came in.” Kevin zoomed past Henry and stood beside the flatbed. The engine felt her jaw clench.   
“The night crew will take care of the inspection.” Victor informed. “We will wait on Sir Topham Hat to arrive to review it. Thank you Henry for bringing the engine to us.”  
“Sir Topham Hat went to go tell Emily that she’ll be pulling the Flying Kipper today.” Henry notified. “He’ll be back any moment now.”  
“Very well. Thank you Henry.” A worker walked up to Henry and uncoupled him from the flatbed. He puffed out of the Steamworks and let the night crew do the rest. Just as he left, Sir Topham Hat made it to the Steamworks on Winston. Or at least tried too. He still had no idea how to control the poor vehicle. Once he got close enough to the entrance, Sir Topham Hat stepped out of the car and made his way towards the flatbed. Several workers unclipped the ropes of the flat bed. Others removed the chains from the wheels and cleared them away. Once everything was free, the workers pulled the sheet off of the engine. She blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings.   
“New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 1021?” Sir Topham Hat said looking at his clipboard. The engine looked at him.   
“Y-yes?” A tinge of fear in her voice.  
“Welcome to The Island Of Sodor.” Sir Topham Hat greeted, spreading his arms. “I hope your journey here wasn’t too bad.”  
“It wasn’t.” The Engine said softly. “It was just… crowded.”  
“I can understand.” Truly, Sir Topham Hat understands her pain. “I don’t think I ever got the chance to hear your name. Do you mind telling it to me?”  
“M-Monya.” Monya forced out. She watched Sir Topham Hat write her name down on the paper. Her attention turned to one of the workers testing her brakes. She flinched when she felt the metal scrape against her wheels. It has been a long time since she has last felt that.   
“Are you able to pull both coaches and freight cars, Monya?” Sir Topham Hat asked. Monya did not answer. She just looked away, frowning. “Monya?”  
She still did not answer.   
“Monya.” The Fat Controller’s voice grew stern, frustration slightly growing. “Are you able-?”  
“Y-yes sir.” Monya replied.   
That was strange. Sir Topham Hat wrote down some more notes. He calmed down a little. Monya was far away from where she came from. She was on unusual territory and surrounded by unfamiliar people. The other engines were almost the same as her and just as shy when they first arrived on the island. Though some were more outgoing and excited as others. Sir Topham Hat softened his voice a little.  
“Sorry about that Monya.” He said. “I know you are in a different place surrounded by unfamiliar people. However, you mustn’t worry yourself too hard. On this island, everyone is my family. We’ll help you out anyway we can so that you can adjust to the island.”  
“Trust me, Monya.” Victor cut in. “You will adjust to this place in no time. Take it from me. I did not know the language when I got here. No one understood me because my only language was Spanish. However, with time, I learned the language here and built many relationships with the other engines. You will do just fine here.”  
“See Monya? You’ll be fine. Remember, the other engines are here to help you should you need it. I’ll arrange for one of them to show you around the island whenever possible for them.”   
“Thank you sir.” Monya felt a bit relieved, though she still felt the anxiety looming over her. She tried to focus on something else. The workers tested a few other things on her while Sir Topham Hat wrote down their findings.   
Meanwhile, the other engines were up. Henry had told them already about the new engine that arrived on Sodor. Percy was excited to meet her as was Thomas.   
“I wonder what she’s like.” Percy mused. “Maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of her while I pull the mail.”  
“Maybe Emily will too.” Henry said. “Sir Topham Hat gave her the Flying Kipper for tonight so that I could pull the engine to the Steamworks. She was very quiet though. I wonder if she was asleep under the covers or hiding.”  
“I’d be sleepy too if I was on that ship for a long time.” Thomas said. “But hey, at least we’ve got another engine to help us out. Always useful to have extra wheels on.”  
“Well she’d best not get in my way while I’m pulling the Express.” Gordon huffed. He remembered when Philip, the little diesel car, got in his way nearly causing an accident.   
“I don’t think she’ll be doing that.” Percy said. “She doesn’t even know the route-“  
“All the more reason she should be careful and stay out of my way.” Gordon cut him off. He puffed back into the shed and shut his eyes.   
Thomas and Percy looked at each other and then back to where Gordon was. He was a bossy, old engine anyways. James pulled into the sheds last.  
“What’s going on?” James asked. “What’s got Gordon all puffed up?”  
“There’s a new engine.” Henry told him. “She’s at the Steamworks now.”  
“A new engine?” James echoed, cocking an eyebrow.   
“Yup. I heard she came all the way from America.” Henry replied.  
“Oh? She’s American?” Thomas asked.   
“I heard those engines could be quite full of themselves.” James sneered. “They act like they are the most important on the rails.”   
“You’re one to talk James.” Percy retorted. James glared at him.  
“Anyway, we should probably get some sleep.” Thomas suggested. “Sir Topham Hat may need one of us to at least show the new engine around Sodor.”  
“I’ll get on with the mail.” Percy said as he headed off. “I hope I meet her!”  
“Alright Percy, Good luck and good night.” Thomas called after him. With that, he shut his eyes and was lulled to sleep. Henry soon followed after.   
“She’ll need a splendid engine to lead her around Sodor.” James said to himself, a sly expression on his face. An idea cooked in his funnel. “I wonder who’ll that be?”  
Hmm… He wondered who indeed.  
A few hours later, the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. Sir Topham Hat yawned and wrote the last bullet point onto his clipboard. Monya was in good condition and well enough to take to the rails. She was fast asleep on the flat bed. The grating she had on her was rusted beyond repair and had to be taken off. It was replaced with buffers and a coupling and she was given a fresh coat of paint. It still made her look almost ghostly in the light. She would need a different color for her paintwork should she decide to be repainted. Last bit of repair needed was Monya’s lamp. It needed to be polished and shined, as well as a new bulb. The crew got to work on that after they finished cleaning out her firebox.   
Once the sun rose some more above the horizon, Monya was completely ready. Sir Topham Hat signed the inspection notes and stamped it. He would have to make a copy and send it to the insurance and to the former owner back in Chicago. That can wait for a bit. Sir Topham Hat needed to get some rest, but not right now. The engines are getting up and ready to go to work. Plus he had to assign an engine that will help Monya get to know the island. The schedule for that train will need to be rearranged until the end of the day.   
“All done sir!” A crew member called. Sir Topham Hat nodded his head at him and watched as the crew hooked a crane underneath Monya. They stabilized her and then lifted her off the flatbed and onto the tracks. Sir Topham Hat would also need to assign a driver and a fireman for her. There was so much to do in short time, but he could handle it. It’s what he has done for many years as the Controller of the North Western Railway.   
Sir Topham Hat decided to let Monya rest for the day. Her journey was long and exhausting just as his was and he arrived on a plane. Monya yawned softly as Victor moved her out of the way. She was moved to the back of the Steamworks to make sure she was not in the way of any engines that needed to be seen in the Steamworks. Sir Topham Hat headed towards Winston and started him up.   
“Let Monya rest for today. She’ll be put to work tomorrow.” The Fat Controller informed Victor. “I haven’t decided who she will work with just yet. So I’ll have her pull freight cars.”  
“I will tell her when she wakes up.” Victor reassured the Fat Controller. The man nodded and started up Winston. He headed out of the Steamworks and back home.   
It was time to run a railway. Hopefully with the new engine, somethings could be much easier to handle.


	3. Out And About

It has been a few days since the inspection. There was no sign of Monya anywhere. Sir Topham Hat stood on the platform for Knapford Station waiting for Monya to show up. She has not shown up in three days. The Fat Controller had already chosen a driver and fireman for her and they have had to go home without much to do. They moved her to a shed that was sort of abandoned and have kept her company, but nothing. Monya has not come to report in.   
The Fat Controller paced around, watching the tracks in case of any sign of Monya. Several of his other engines passed by, fetching passengers or pulling cargo. Still no sign of her. He will have to go and see what is wrong. Sir Topham Hat headed down and walked towards Winston. He got in the vehicle and pulled away from Knapford and drove towards the abandoned shed. He heard Monya from inside the shed talking to both her engineer and her fireman. There was a tinge of worry in her voice.   
“Monya? Are you there?” Sir Topham Hat called. He could see a faint outline of her from the sun peeking through the holes in the shed. She was staring directly at him, dreading the situation right now. “Come on out, Monya. I want to see you. What’s wrong? You haven’t show up for your jobs in the past few days.”  
Monya’s driver, a woman of Latina descent wearing blue overalls over a white sweater stained with dust, walked up to the Fat controller. She took off her hat and sighed.   
“What’s happened?” Sir Topham Hat asked the driver. “Why hasn’t she come to work?”  
“It’s complicated sir.” The driver said. “She does want to work, she truly does. Something is holding her back.”  
“I want to know what it is from her mouth.” Sir Topham Hat demanded. “Bring her out, please. I want to see her immediately.”  
The driver nodded her head. She headed back to the shed and climbed into Monya’s cabin. Sir Topham Hat heard Monya whispering to her driver from the shed.   
“He’ll be mad.” He overheard her say. “I’ll be sent to be scrapped like what the man told me those years ago.”  
Monya puffed out slowly and stopped in front of Sir Topham Hat. She had a frown on her face and looked to be red in the face as if she was crying. Sir Topham Hat noticed this and furrowed his brow, suddenly very concerned.   
“Monya? What’s wrong? You haven’t appeared for a few days. Is something the matter?”   
“I’m sorry sir.” Monya said, her voice very soft. She looked down at the ground, feeling ashamed of herself.   
“Are you homesick?” Sir Topham asked.   
“A little.” Monya sniffed. “I do miss home, but I wasn’t useful there.”  
“You will be useful here.” Sir Topham reassured her. “But not if you stay in the shed all day without going any work. There is plenty to do around the island and you’ve got to play a part in helping out the other engines.”  
“Are the others friendly?” Monya inquired.   
“Well, you’ve met a few, Henry and Victor and Kevin, though he isn’t an engine.” Sir Topham replied. “How was Henry to you on your way to the Steamworks?”  
“He was… Kinda friendly like. Said I will love it here and that everyone will love to meet me.”  
“And it is true, Monya.” Sir Topham Hat popped his collar. “The other engines have been curious about meeting you. Henry even asked for you yesterday when you didn’t show up.”  
Monya looked at the ground again, tightening her lips. “I’m sorry.”  
“No need to apologize, Monya.” Sir Topham Hat walked towards Winston. He got in the car and started him up. “Now, I’ll show you the way to Knapford from here. Come along and I will assign you job over there with another engine.”  
“O-okay sir.” Monya replied. She blew her whistle and followed carefully behind Sir Topham Hat who was still having trouble driving Winston.  
Once both Monya and Sir Topham Hat arrived at Knapford, a train had pulled away. She entered the station, impressed at how beautiful it looked. Her driver stepped out of her cabin and followed Sir Topham Hat inside his office to discuss her schedule. Monya waited around, letting off a bit of steam. Her driver came out with a clipboard and signed it. She took out another piece of paper before handing the clipboard back to Sir Topham Hat. She stepped into Monya’s cabin as the fireman started fanning the flames. Monya started off, stopping by a siding with a water tower. She needed to refill her boiler as it was close to running on empty. The workers hooked the pipe to her and let the water flow. Monya smiled and sniffed. She was still trying to get over her crying fit from earlier. It was gradually going away.   
Few minutes later, Monya heard a whistle from behind her. A small diesel boxcar came up to her. Monya felt a bit of fear creep into her boiler. Oh no… She thought. What’s this one want? I hope he isn’t-  
“Hello there!” The boxcar greeted. “I’ve never seen you around the island. Are you new here?”  
“Uhm… Yes.” Monya responded as she looked away. Fill up faster!   
“Oh! It’s a pleasure to meet you! Did you come a long way? Are you going to be working with us? Where are you from? What’s your name? “My name's Philip! Phi-lip. Like Philip! We can have a race if you like!”  
“Uh, no thanks. Sorry.” Monya was relieved when her boiler was finally full. The workers detached the pipe from her and she blew her whistle. Before she could start off again, Philip appeared in front of her.   
“Where you headed off too? I can take you there. Maybe we can race there! Did you know I raced Gordon all the way to Brendam Docks? Me?! Against supposedly the fastest engine on Sodor? And I beat him in that race. He couldn’t even catch up to me!” Monya tried to respond, but she couldn’t with all the questions Philip kept throwing at her. She blew her whistle as loud as she could and dashed away, nearly hitting Philip. He moved out of the way in time and watched her leave aghast.   
“Are we racing now?” He called after her.   
“NO!”   
“Oh…” Philip watched her go. “Maybe next time then!”  
Monya, who was very red in the face, rushed away. She slowed down and moved to a siding. She needed to collect herself after all that and took a few deep breaths. Her driver reviewed the schedule and taped it onto the door in the cabin. The first stop for the day was to pull coal in the quarry with Henry. Monya did not want to go and be confronted like that again. She wished she was back in her shed alone where no one could bother her. However, that was not going to make Sir Topham Hat proud. She needed to prove her usefulness on the railway and she needed to prove that she could also be reliable. With a look of determination, Monya started off again. She whistled as an alert to warn engines she was pulling out and started off to the quarry. Her driver knew how to get there, but she may as well enjoy some of the scenery.   
The signal turned red when Monya was a few blocks away from the quarry. She stopped and looked around. It was not long until she heard a booming whistle in front of her. The tracks switched and a giant blue engine thundered past her.   
“EXPRESS COMNG THROUGH!” The blue engine boomed. Monya watched the coaches fly past her, closing her eyes to avoid any dust getting into them. She opened them again, still hearing the engine yelling about the express coming through. She started off when the signal turned green again. What a loud engine. Monya thought as she chuffed off. Another engine whooshed past her, only he was red this time. Speed is key on this island. I may as well hurry up myself. Henry is counting on me. She puffed faster in the direction of the Blue Mountain Quarry.   
Monya arrived at the quarry just in time. Henry had pulled in a few minutes before her and was getting hooked up to the trucks carrying slate and . Monya took a deep breath, calming the anxiety prickling around in her boiler and chuffed up slowly to the green engine. Henry noticed her, squinting his eyes to get a better look.   
“Oh hello? I’ve never see you around here before.” He blinked, cocking an eyebrow. It suddenly hit him.  
“I’m the engine you pulled to the Steamworks.”   
“Oh! You’re the one?” Henry gasped, a smile spreading on his face. “You’re the new engine?”  
“I am.” Monya felt a bit tense.  
“It’s wonderful to meet you finally.” Henry grinned happily. “My name is Henry. Did Sir Topham Hat send you here to be my back engine?”  
“Back engine?”   
“Oh, umm… A back engine-“  
“Sorry. I should know this, but I…” Monya trailed off, her face getting beat red.  
“It’s alright.” Henry reassured her. “Oh, I never got your name.”  
“Monya.”  
“Monya? That’s a nice name.”   
“Thank you.”  
“Well Monya. A back engine is an engine that goes to the back of a load of cars.” Henry explained. “They help keep the troublesome trucks in line and need to help push the cars while the front pulls them.”  
“Oh. I understand.” A small smile appeared on Monya’s face. She started towards the end of Henry’s load and lined herself up to the trucks. The foremen coupled her to the load and signaled using their flag.   
“Ready Monya?” Henry called from the front.  
“Oh UH! Yes! Ready!” Henry blew his whistle and began to pull the trucks. Monya was tugged along with him, startled at the movement. She had to push the troublesome trucks while he pulled them. So she did and blew her whistle as well. I can do this. I can do this. Monya chanted to herself. She pushed the trucks with all her might.   
“Careful Monya!” Henry yelled. Startled, Monya braked hard, nearly jumping a point. Henry stopped as well, shaking himself off. “Are you okay back there?”  
Monya did not answer. She shut her eyes, waiting for Henry to start yelling at her, but it never came. He just called her name again, his voice filled with worry.   
“I’m alright.” Monya answered, albeit a bit weakly.   
“Be careful Monya.” Henry warned. “This is a heavy load. We could have an accident if we go too fast or stall if we go to slow.”  
Monya looked down at the ground. “Sorry.”  
The troublesome trucks began laughing and teasing Monya. She sniffled, feeling the urge to cry again, but she held down her tears. It was only teasing. Just ignore them… Monya let out a sigh and blew her whistle.  
“Ready again, Henry. Sorry.”   
“It’s alright, Monya. Don’t worry about these trucks. Once we get them to the docks, we won’t have to worry about them.”   
“Wonderful.” Monya sniffed again. She felt a little better as Henry started again. She made sure to push the cars firmly as Henry chuffed on. The two engines pulled out of the quarry and towards the main line. Henry kept checking on Monya on their way to the quarry. She kept reassuring him that she was fine, but she still felt tense.   
Once the two engines arrived at the docks, Monya was uncoupled after Henry. She backed away and headed onto the other track. She was about to go past Henry, but he stopped her.   
“Wait Monya.” He called. Monya stopped and backed up to Henry, looking away. She prepared herself for the onslaught of insults about to be hurled her way. “You did pretty good back there. You are a really useful engine indeed. Thank you for being my back engine.”  
Monya looked at Henry surprised.   
“What?” Henry asked, frowning.  
“Nothing.” Monya looked away, her eyebrows creasing. “I just thought you would yell at me about bumping the trucks back there. You nearly jumped the point.”  
“W-why would I yell at you?” Henry asked, suddenly very worried. “You didn’t do anything wrong and I didn’t jump the point.”  
“I… I thought I did.” Monya whispered.   
“No no. It was only to be careful, but you did it.” Henry heartened. “You were very helpful.”  
A small smile appeared on Monya’s face. “Thank you Henry.”  
“No, thank you.” Henry chuckled. “Where are you off to next?”  
“I should be heading to Knapford to shunt some cars.” Monya told him. “I’ll be seeing you right?”  
“I may pass by there later.” Henry replied. “I’ll be sure to say hello.”   
“Okay.” Monya blew her whistle and puffed away. “Thank you again, Henry.”   
Monya headed back to Knapford. She looked around, checking to see if the little diesel was anywhere to be seen. She sighed in relief when she did not see him. However, she did hear another engine coming up on the track beside her. It was the red engine that zoomed past her from before after the blue engine. He was pulling coaches with passengers that had to be let off at the station. He blew his whistle at her, Monya meekly blowing hers back.   
“Here’s JAAAAAMES!” She heard him announce to the station, his voice high-pitched and cheery. Monya cocked an eyebrow. She backed into a siding where there was a water tower. She refilled on coal before she left the harbor, but she did not refill on water. Now was her chance before she got to shunting the cars. The workers attached the pipe and let the water flow. It was not long until the blue engine from before thundered past her again.   
“EXPRESS COMING THROUGH!” He boomed as he pulled into the station. Good thing he hasn’t noticed me yet.   
The red engine, James, pulled away from the station after the foreman signaled with his whistle. He left his coaches at the station and rounded a bend. A few minutes later, he appeared by Monya, who was too deep in thought to notice him. James Lew his whistle again, startling her.   
“I haven’t seen you around here before.” James said. “You must be that new engine that Henry was talking about.”  
“I am. You must be James.” Monya smiled nervously.  
“The one and only splendid, red engine.” James boasted, a smug look on his face. “A pleasure to meet you. I expected you to be a bit more eccentric.”  
“Eccentric?”  
“Oh you know.” James smirked. “Some American trains tend to boast about being the most important on the rails. And some tend to have, well, a different coat of paint than what you have.”  
“I don’t think I’m that important.” Monya looked towards the ground. She felt her face blushing again. Why does she always have to blush at times like these?   
“Nonsense.” James chuckled. “Sir Topham Hat has a reason for you being here, otherwise you wouldn’t be here in front of me right now, now would you?”  
“R-right.”   
“I never got your name by the way.”   
“Monya.”   
“Hmm… A strange name, but alright. Monya.” James tested the name. “Oh! Are you doing any jobs as of now? I can take you around the island if you so wish.”  
“Sorry. I have to shunt these cars to the harbor. Maybe later James.” Manya was detached from the water tower and was about to exit the siding when James quickly blocked her way.   
“Shunting cars?” He asked confused. “That’s no job for a tender engine like you!”  
“What?”  
“Smaller engines are always sent to do all the shunting. We tender engines have the smaller engines fetch the cars and coaches for us. We do the rest. Well, that’s how we do it here. Not sure how they did it over where you’re from.”  
Monya wanted to retort, but she stayed quiet. James smirked to himself. He could tell he got to her.  
“Do you have a job now?”  
“Where to?”  
“That’s the spirit.”


	4. The Flying Kipper

They may get into trouble for this. She did not exactly shunt the cars that she was ordered to do. Instead, Monya followed James around the island. She listened to his stories about his adventures, pulling coaches and only pulling the best of the goods trains that he, a splendid red engine, had gotten to pull. Monya almost did not believe a few of his stories with how over-the-top some of them sounded. In the end, she could not help, but at least admire James a little bit. He really is a hard-worker and, in spite of everything, is a good friend.  
The two engines stopped to get water and coal on a siding. They had nearly covered most of the Island Of Sodor, though there was still a lot more to explore. Monya waited for James to refill his stock while she watched for other engines. A few of them passed by, one being an old tram pulling a coach behind him, a green engine that looked like he waddled like a duck, and two black engines that looked just like each other. Monya hoped she was hidden in car one of those engines were heading back to report to Sir Topham Hat.   
Now Monya got herself all worried. She needed to get back and finish all of her jobs by night time. Otherwise, it was off to getting yelled by the Fat Controller. The sun had begun to set, setting the sky ablaze.   
“Say Monya, how are you liking the Island so far?” James inquired. Monya did not respond. She was too busy thinking about getting caught by someone for not doing her job in the shunting yard. James blew his whistle, immediately taking Monya out of her thoughts. She shot backwards in surprise, hitting a buffer stop pretty hard. James pulled back as Monya shook herself out of the daze.   
“You alright?” James asked. His face twisted in concern.  
“I’m okay.” Monya replied. “Just hit the buffers is all.”  
“You didn’t answer my question.”   
“Sorry sorry.” Monya felt her boiler grow hotter than it was. “What was the question again?”  
James slightly rolled his eyes, but he stopped himself. “I asked, how are you liking the Island of Sodor so far?”  
“Oh.” Monya sniffed. “I like it. This place is beautiful.”   
“Oh I’ve yet to show you the rest of Sodor that will leave you speechless. But I have some important jobs that I need to take care of.” James started to puff away. “I’ll show you the rest of Sodor tomorrow. Whenever I can, that is. See you soon, Monya. It was a pleasure meeting you.”  
Monya watched James leave. She headed up to the water tower to refill her boiler. A few cars blocked her from view, which was a bit of a relief. She heard a few engines go by her as she carefully backed out of the siding. She headed back to Knapford by retracing her tracks. She found the yard to be empty, save for a few freight cars that needed to be shunted away. Monya pushed them to a siding and heard a bell clang behind her. An old tram and his coach steamed past her towards the station. She whistled in greeting before puffing into the station behind him. However, before she could leave, Monya heard someone clear their throat. She flinched and looked in the direction where the sound came from.   
“Monya? Where have you been?” Sir Topham Hat made his way towards her. “You were suppose to clear the yard earlier and because you did not, you caused confusion and delay. Two engines had to clear the yard to let the express and the goods through. What were you doing that required so much attention?”  
“I-I’m sorry sir.” Monya whimpered. She looked down at the ground, embarrassed to talk.  
“Sorry does not fix the problem you caused.” Sir Topham Hat affirmed. “Where were you?”  
Monya was about to reply, but she closed her mouth. She did not want to get James into trouble for taking her around the island. He just wanted her to get to know the island, to know some of the locations so that she was not lost.   
“I was trying to get to know the island is all.” Monya replied, softly.  
“What was that?”  
“I was-“   
“Why do you think I sent you to some of the places with freight, Monya?” Sir Topham Hat crossed his arms. “It was one way for you to get to know the island while also doing some of your jobs. Once you got to know the Island, I could have you pulling coaches. You may be new, but you are not exempt from the same punishments. Tonight, I will ask you to pull the Flying Kipper in place of Henry. This is not a punishment, but to make up for the time you were supposed to be spending doing your work.”   
“Where is the Flying Kipper?” Monya asked.  
“At Brendam Docks.” Sir Topham Hat answered. Monya whistled and started to pull away. Sir Topham Hat was about to stop her, but Monya had already long gone. She puffed towards Brendam Docks, trying to remember her way.   
The sun had almost completely disappeared from the horizon. Monya turned her lantern on to light the way. Once she arrived at Brendam Docks, she spotted some trucks being loaded with fish. She caught a whiff of the smell and wrinkled her nose. A crane was busy loading the trucks with the fish crates. Monya chuffed to them as quietly as she could, turning off her lantern so that she would not be noticed. She was about reach the front of the cars when a voice cleared their throat.  
“You’re not Henry!” A hoarse voice boomed. Monya looked around frantically. “Up here, kiddo.”  
Monya looked up. The crane looked down at her with a confused expression on his face. Two engines appeared beside her. One a diesel and the other a steam engine.   
“We normally be expecting’ Henry.” The diesel informed. “He’s the one that pulls the Flying Kipper.”   
“I-I am going to pull the Kipper tonight.” Monya responded. “Sir Topham Hat said I must.”  
“Fine by me.” The crane answered as he lowered the last crate onto the trucks. “Anything to rid of the smell of fish.”   
“What yer name, lass?” The diesel asked. “I go by Salty in these parts.”  
“M-Monya.” The engine replied. “Are those the Flying Kipper?”  
“Yes ma’am!” The engine next to Salty said. “You take it from here all the way to the Mainland.”   
“T-that seems far away.” Monya’s wheels locked up. “I don’t know if I can make that journey.”  
“It’s not so bad.” The engine reassured her. “The stop is close to the Bridlington Goods Yard. You’ll know when you see it. I’m Porter, by the way.”  
“Arg. And that fella up there’s Cranky.” Salty introduced. “You’ll be seein’ us a lot.”  
“N-nice to meet you all.” Monya greeted as she backed up to the trucks. A workman hooked her up to the cars and gave the thumbs up, ready to go. “Any idea how to get to the Mainland?”  
“There’s a bridge that goes over the river to the Mainland called the Vicarstown Rolling Bridge.” Cranky explained. “Red bridge over a channel, can’t miss it.”  
“Thank you.” Monya said quietly.  
“Yarharhar!” Salty chuckled. “Say, you know a few shanties, lass?”  
“Uh no.” Monya replied. “What of you?”  
“Oh no.” Cranky groaned, rolling his eyes. With that, Salty burst into song with Porter joining in.

Oh! Sally Brown, she's the girl for me boys  
Roll, boys! Roll boys roll!  
Oh! Sally Brown, she's the girl for me boys  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

We're bound away, way down south, boys  
Roll, boys! Roll boys roll!  
We're bound away, way down south, boys  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

It's down to Trinidad to see Sally Brown boys  
Roll, boys! Roll boys roll!  
Down to Trinidad to see Sally Brown boys  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

She's lovely on the foreyard, and she's lovely down below boys  
Roll, boys! Roll boys roll!  
She's lovely cause she loves me, that's all I want to know boys  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

Old Captain Baker, how do you store yer cargo?  
Roll Boys! Roll boys roll!  
Some I stow forward, boys, and some I stow after  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

Forty fathoms or more below boys  
Roll, boys! Roll boys roll!  
There's forty fathoms or more below boys  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

Oh, way high ya, and up she rises  
Roll Boys! Roll boys roll!  
Way high ya, and the blocks is different sizes  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

Oh, one more pull, don't ya hear the mate a-bawling?  
Roll, boys! Roll boys roll!  
Oh, one more pull, that's the end of all the hauling  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

Oh! Sally Brown, she's the girl for me boys  
Roll, boys! Roll boys roll!  
Oh! Sally Brown, she's the girl for me boys  
Way high, Miss Sally Brown!

Monya had already puffed away with the Flying Kipper by the time Salty and Porter were finished with the song. She remembered James showing her where the town was, but they never went near the point. She retraced the tracks to get to Vicarstown and found the bridge. She stopped in front of the guard, the bridge having been lifted to let a ship through. Monya waited impatiently while the point was being lowered. Once guard was lifted, Monya passed over the bridge. She hummed to herself to keep calm, wishing Sir Topham Hat sent her with another engine that knows where to go. Her only though was to follow the track and see if she’ll get there in time.   
The moon had started to rise and Monya was still nowhere near her stop. She had stopped and asked for directions a few times, all of the people telling her that she was on the right track to where she needed to go. However, it still felt like a lost cause. Monya felt like she was going around in circles.   
Meanwhile, the other engines were back in Tidmouth Sheds, save for Henry who was being aligned on the turntable. While that was going on, James was talking about taking Monya around the island, exaggerating a few points to entertain.  
“I promised I’d show her the rest of the Island tomorrow.” James said. “She’ll love her new home. Probably will be much better than her old home over in America.”  
“Aren’t you showing off to the engine a little too early, James?” Emily piped in.   
“Nonsense. I just thought to show her around the island so that she wouldn’t get lost.”   
“I met her too. She is very kind.” Henry cut in. Then he frowned. “Though she is nervous all the time. She said herself that she was expecting me to yell at her for bumping the freight.”  
“Why would that be?” Thomas asked. “We would only yell if there is danger.”  
“I don’t know. We’ll have to ask her.” Henry suggested.   
“What’s the engine’s name?” Percy inquired.  
“Monya.” Both Henry and James answered. Gordon rolled his eyes.   
“What kind of a name is that?” Gordon huffed. “Sounds so strange.”  
“Could be that she is not from here Gordon.” Edward answered. “Monya is not from the Mainland or from Sodor.”  
“Bah.” Gordon snorted. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking that smelly fish wagon, Henry?”  
“Not tonight.” Henry replied. “Sir Topham Hat said that another engine will take the Flying Kipper.”  
“I did say that.” Sir Topham Hat spoke up as he walked toward the engines. “It will be the new engine who will take the Flying Kipper for tonight. I will be assigning her with one of you tomorrow to help with whatever job you have.”   
James saw an opportunity. “I would be honored to accompany the new engine. Surely, she needs to be led around by a splendid engine, such as myself?”  
“Didn’t you already take her around the island?” Emily pouted. “Let another one of us take her around.”  
“So it was you who took Monya away from her job.” Sir Topham Hat folded his arms and glared at James. The red engine smiled and blushed nervously. “Honestly James. You should have at least waited until she was finished with her jobs before you took her to tour the island. Now she has to make up for lost time.”  
“I’m sorry sir.” James apologized.   
“Ah! You should apologize to Monya herself.” Sir Topham Hat suggested. “She needs it more than I do and she did try to keep you from getting into trouble, taking the brunt of the blame.”  
“That’s way too kind of her.” Gordon puffed out in a snit. “She should have spoken up because of what you did. She won’t last very long on this railway.”  
The red engine bit back a witty retort. Mostly because Sir Topham Hat was in front of them all.   
“That doesn’t matter now. And Emily is right. So I will have Monya be assigned to help Edward for the rest of the day tomorrow.”  
Edward smiled. “That’s wonderful, sir. I’ll be happy to have the extra company.”  
“That’s good.” Sir Topham Hat turned to leave. “Make sure you all rest up. Monya should be back soon. I will tell her where she needs to go in the morning.”   
After having her driver ask a final stationmaster for directions, Monya finally made it to her destination. She did it. She had delivered the fish and it was time to go home. Monya was coupled to the empty cars. She blew her whistle after the stationmaster blew his and started off. The moon was already past its arch when Monya passed the canal. She yawned softly, her eyelids heavy. She wanted to rest, but she needed to get back to Sodor and drop off the cars. Monya stopped a bit when she found a coal hopper. She pulled up to it to refill her tender and to rest a bit. It was a long way back to her shed in Sodor. Plus the added stop of dropping off the freight cars. Monya yawned again, her wheels aching. They had to keep moving. The sooner I get back to my shed, the better. Monya thought. She then caught a whiff of the fish and nearly coughed. And I will wake up for a wash down early in the morning.   
Once she was over the Vicarstown Bridge, Monya slowed her speed. She chuffed quietly through the night, the moon shining on her to help light the way along with her lantern. It was rather spooky out. Monya started to hum to herself to keep calm. She started to softly sing to herself. 

Take a moment to think of just  
Flexibility, love, and trust  
Take a moment to think of just  
Flexibility, love, and trust

Here comes a thought that might alarm you  
What someone said and how it harmed you  
Something you did that failed to be charming  
Things that you said are suddenly swarming

And, oh, you're losing sight, you're losing touch  
All these little things seem to matter so much  
That they confuse you  
That I might lose you

Take a moment, remind yourself  
To take a moment and find yourself  
Take a moment and ask yourself  
If this is how we fall apart  
But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not  
It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay  
You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear  
I'm here, I'm here, I'm here

Monya puffed past Tidmouth Sheds as she sang. Percy gasped and shivered, waking up Thomas.   
“What’s wrong Percy?” Thomas groaned.   
“G-ghost!” Percy squeaked.   
“Oh Percy.” Thomas yawned, falling back asleep. “It’s just your imagination.”   
Percy watched the apparition disappear. He did not go to sleep that night.


	5. Working With Edward

It was finally morning on the Island of Sodor. Monya was already on her way to the wash down. After taking the Flying Kipper to its destination, it left her smelling kind of fishy. That would not do at all. The workers had already finished cleaning two orange coaches when Monya pulled in. They could already smell what was wrong and began to clean the engine immediately. The workers made small conversation with Monya, who did manage to say a few words to keep the conversation alive.  
About an hour later, Monya was wiped down and clean. She did not smell of fish anymore. What a relief. Monya was about to go, but a foreman stopped her.  
“What’s wrong?” Monya’s driver asked.  
“You don’t have a twilight in the back of your tender.” The foreman informed her. “All engines require one on the railway. It’s to prevent accidents.”  
Monya tightened her lips. She steamed, slightly embarrassed at the fact that she did not have a tail light. What was she supposed to do? She was not built with one in the States. Her driver reassured her, but that did little to make Monya feel better.  
“We’ll have to get one fixed onto you soon.” Her driver said. “It’s still morning. Engines can see us just fine.”  
A sigh escaped Monya’s mouth. The foreman stepped out of the way as Monya blew her whistle. She chuffed away towards Knapford Station. After arriving, she made sure the smaller diesel car was not around before she started shunting. The big blue engine from yesterday thundered past her as she pushed an empty truck out of the way. Sir Topham Hat noticed her and whistled to get her attention. Monya did not hear him and pushed a troublesome truck roughly towards a line of freight. Sir Topham Hat called her again, this time grabbing her attention. A blue tank engine pushed a line of coaches towards the bigger tender engine before Monya could move. Sir Topham Hat walked towards her with a clipboard in his hands.  
“Monya, I need you to go with Edward today and help him with his assignments for the day.” He ordered. “He’ll take you along his branch line and get you familiar with another part of the island.”  
“Who is Edward?” Monya asked.  
“He’s a blue engine who is very old, but very wise.” Sir Topham Hat described him. “He has a number 2 on his tender, like how you had 999 on yours.”  
“Ha!” The bigger blue engine snorted. “Edward? He’s too old to be showing her around. He’ll break apart by the time he starts up.”  
“You’re one to talk, Gordon.” A blue tank engine retorted. “You always seem to stall on your very own hill. Edward has to be the one to help you make it down the hill. Or did you you forget?”  
Gordon said nothing. He steamed away with the coaches and blew his whistle.  
“Don’t mind Gordon.” The Tank engine chuckled as he puffed away. “You’ll get used to him. He’s definitely much fun to sneak up on when he’s asleep.”  
Monya watched him go and then looked back at Sir Topham Hat.  
“Ah well.” Sir Topham Hat began. “Edward is a blue engine that has been with this railway for years. I can assure you that he will help you with anything you need. If anything, I trust him the most on this railway. You will find him ”  
“Very well sir.” Monya pulled through Knapford Station, but stopped. “Where is Edward?”  
“I’ll take you to him.” The tank engine piped in. “My name is Thomas, by the way.”  
“Please Thomas.” Sir Topham Hat requested. “And if you see Montague anywhere, please tell him to come see me. I’ve a very important job for him.”  
“Yes sir. Come on, Monya!” Thomas started off with Monya trailing slowly behind him. She only picks up speed when Thomas does. The tank engine drove past a few other engines, whistling to them in greeting. They whistled back and watched the two of them go by. Monya was about to whistle in greeting too, but she was already too far away.  
Thomas led Monya straight onto Edward’s branch line. He made some small talk with her while they were off finding Edward. He told a couple of stories of his own on the Island of Sodor to Monya. She listened intently as she puffed behind him. One story he told her was about the time he got his branch line after James got into a nasty accident. The next one was about how he almost lost his coaches Annie and Clarabel, but Hiro was able to retrieve them in time. Last he told of his recent journey to the Mainland, but that will have to wait for another time.  
“There’s Edward.” Thomas slowed down to a stop. Monya puffed up next to him on another track. She looked, seeing a blue tender engine shunting some trucks together. He was much smaller than Gordon, but roughly the same size as James. Edward noticed the two of them and blew his whistle in greeting.  
“She’s all yours Edward.” Thomas said, as he puffed away. Monya was about to call him back, but Thomas was already long gone. Edward chuffed closer to Monya.  
“Hello there. You must be the new train James was talking about.” Edward greeted. “Monya is your name, correct?”  
“Yeah.” Monya replied, shyly. Edward looked at her, curiously.  
“No need to be so shy.” He reassured her. “I’m Edward. Welcome to the Island Of Sodor. I hope you’re enjoying yourself here.”  
“It’s n-nice to meet you.” Monya said quietly, smiling a bit. “Sorry I am being a bit silly.”  
“You’re not being silly.” Edward comforted. “You are in a new place that is far from your home. I wouldn’t be surprised if you are nervous about meeting the other engines or if you got lost anywhere. Don’t be scared to ask for help whenever you need it. Most of us will help you as best we can.”  
“I-Thank you, Edward.” Monya felt her anxiety die down a bit in her boiler. “Sir Topham Hat sent me to help you here on the branch line.”  
“Ah, wonderful. He told me about you.” Edward puffed backwards. “I need to take some china clay to Brendam Docks for today. Would you mind if you pull while I push?”  
“I can do that.” Monya headed up to line herself up to the front of the trucks.  
“Good. We’ll be done with the work in no time.” Edward was hooked up to the cars after Monya was. They took the goods train to the docks. Once they were finished with that job, Edward took Monya to the yard. He taught her about ho to properly shunting cars and about fetching the coaches if Thomas or any of the other engines were not available. They pulled more goods through the branch, back and forth from the quarry and back to the docks. In between breaks, Edward kept showing Monya what to do. She watched and did exactly as she was told, though she occasionally bumped the trucks too hard on accident. However, Edward was very patient. The anxiety that was boiling up in Monya had since eased off. Sir Topham Hat was right after all.  
Edward and Monya pulled into the station with the bigger engine at the front. A stationmaster was waving a red flag. Monya recognized the flag to mean danger. She had never run into the flag until now. Something must have happened.  
“Edward?” The stationmaster called.  
“Back here, sir.” Edward replied from the back. “What’s wrong?”  
The stationmaster walked towards him. “Gordon is stuck on his hill again. He needs a banker engine to give him a push.”  
“Again?!” Edward asked, bewildered. He let out a puff of smoke in frustration.  
“What’s wrong Edward?”  
“Gordon, that bigger blue engine that you see pulling the express, is stuck on his hill again.” Edward explained. “It does not happen very often, but when it does…”  
Monya could sense Edward rolling his eyes. She smirked, chuckling softly to herself.  
“I can’t leave these trucks. tsk. I am expected to pull them to the next stop.” Edward huffed. “Monya, you’ll have to go ahead and push Gordon down the hill.”  
“Me? I-I can’t. He’ll just-“ She stuttered.  
“Monya!” Edward snapped. Monya flinched at the sound of her name. “Don’t worry. Go to Gordon’s Hill. I’ll be waiting for you at the yard. We’ll make our way back once we are finished for the day.”  
Monya bit her lip. Her face flushed, but she had to go. Anxiety began to rise again in her boiler as she was uncoupled and sent on her way. She followed the tracks towards the hill. Once she found a line of coaches on her track, Monya followed it up. She found the blue engine at the top of the hill. She approached him, blowing her whistle to tell everyone she was incoming.  
“Oh it’s you.” Gordon scoffed. “Edward too busy that he had to send you of all engines?”  
Monya said nothing. She really wanted to defend Edward, but of course her fear of confrontation kept her quiet. She growled to herself as she pushed up against the coaches. She heaved and shoved and inch by inch, Gordon started moving. Monya kept going until the bigger engine blew his whistle after he crested the hill.  
“EXPRESS COMING THROUGH!” He hollered as he flew down the hill. Monya watched him go from the top of the hill, a little surprised that Gordon would leave without saying thank you. She returned to Edward who was waiting for her at the station.  
“Why the long face, Monya?”  
“Does Gordon ever thank you when you push him?”  
“He does now, but that’s because-“ Edward sighed. “He didn’t thank you, did he?”  
“No, he didn’t.” Edward just let out another sigh when Monya answered him.  
“I do apologize on behalf of Gordon. He can be a bit rude sometimes. I’ll have a word with him when I see him in the shed tonight.”  
“No no!” Monya jumped. “I don’t want him to get even angrier with me.”  
“He’s not going to be mad at you.” Edward reassured her. “If anything happens, we can teach him a bit of a lesson.”  
“How so?”  
“Well, you helped me really well today.” Edward got a sly look on his face. “I could put in a good word for you that you can pull the Express any time that Gordon is unavailable? Or even tomorrow morning?”  
“The Express? I don’t think I can! I don’t know all the stops! I’d be really slow. My pulling weight-“ Monya kept going on and on, but Edward only listened and waited for her to stop. “What?”  
“You are always ready to knock yourself down.” Edward pointed out. “I heard that from Henry. However, I believe in you. You can pull the Express through Sodor. From what I’ve heard about you, you were the one that pulled the Empire State Express, didn’t you? Sir Topham Hat told us about that when he returned.”  
“That was so long ago.” Monya said, remembering those times with small smile on her face.  
“And the distance of our Express and your Express is much shorter.” Edward continued. “You’ve got what it takes. I can show you the stops of the express when the time calls.”  
Monya still felt a bit nervous, but she did believe Edward. He taught her a lot in short time and there was still a lot more to learn.  
“I must ask Monya.” Edward spoke up, getting Monya out of her thoughts. “Why is it that you knock yourself down? You are a capable engine like the rest of us.”  
“I-it’s a long story Edward.” Monya admitted. She looked down and stared at the ground, sadly. “I don’t feel comfortable yet sharing it. Sorry.”  
“Understandable.” Edward headed off. “When you are ready to tell the story, I’ll be there to listen. I’ll put a good word in for Sir Topham Hat about you. Thank you for helping me today Monya.”  
“A pleasure.” She said smiling.  
Monya settled into her shed for the night. Her firebox was cleaned out and her wheels were oiled up to keep it everything smooth. The engine began to hum a soft tune to herself. 

I see the spine of the world  
Sparkle and shine, light the inside  
I see the spine of the world  
I know it's mine, twisted and tied

You always go  
Walking on coals  
Walk away slow  
Feel the fire  
Light your way to me  
My siren song for you

I see the spine  
So come with me  
We'll fly right over  
Right over

The song lulled Monya to sleep. She did not dream that night, but the calming sound of the lake a few feet beside her kept her asleep for the rest of the night.


	6. Main Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Couldn’t find a song to suit this time. The songs I can hear playing in my head as I write this are Forgotten Voyage - Lindsey Stirling and Left Behind - Gustavo Santaolalla. Also I had a bit of an art block, so I decided to starting writing the next chapter. Ha!

Something cold was around Monya’s wheels. She woke up to find the shed, slightly flooded with water. Her driver, Maria, started her up and moved her out of the shed quickly. Monya’s wheels dripped with water  
“It rained hard last night.” Maria informed. “The lake behind the shed burst its banks a little. You’ll need to find a new shed to stay in. Otherwise, your wheels may rust or moss may grow around them or in your boiler. You have to be more careful.”  
“Shoot!” Monya snapped. “Will the water go back into the lake soon?”  
“It should by the afternoon.” Maria reassured her. “It’s dawn now. We should go to the yard and see if Sir Topham Hat has anything for us to do.”  
“Probably more shunting.” Monya huffed. Though she felt a bit worried that Edward would keep his promise and tell Sir Topham Hat to let her pull the Express. Sure she has pulled an express train before, the grand Empire State Express. However that was long ago. Monya was not sure if she could be really useful on that part. The Express train was long and looked heavy. Gordon was bigger and stronger than her, therefore he could pull it with ease. Unless he was climbing his hill sometimes.   
Monya let off some steam and yawned. The sun was peaking over the horizon when the steam engine started off towards the yard. However, it was not long until she had to stop at a signal. The stationmaster stepped out of his office and leaned over the fence. Maria and the fireman peered out of the cabin.  
“What’s the problem?” Maria asked.   
“The rain has flooded the tracks.” The Stationmaster warned. “You must proceed with caution otherwise an accident will happen.”   
“We’ll be careful.” The fireman reassured the stationmaster. He lightly tapped the side of Monya’s cabin. “Slow and steady, Mon. We don’t want to get you into an accident.”  
With a whistle and the signal turning yellow, Monya pressed on. She kept her speed down, noticing the heavy puddles of water overtaking some of the tracks. Her wheels had been replaced when she came to Sodor, so she could not splash through the water as easily. That did not matter. As long as her firebox was dry and burning, Monya could still keep on puffing.   
They had reached the yard. A few of the other engines were hard at work. Monya chuffed past them and pulled into the station. She noticed Edward, talking with Sir Topham Hat. He was wearing a dirty grey shirt, steel toed boots and some blue overalls. She could barely make out what they were saying, but the feeling of dread washed over her. Guess I’ll have to pull the Express today… Monya sighed softly. Her wheels trembled slightly as she pulled away from the station. She headed towards a siding to refill on coal and water. Not too long after being filled up with coal, she heard Edward’s whistle. He pulled up beside her with a friendly smile on his face.   
“Good morning Monya.” Edward greeted. “Did you sleep well last night?”  
“Morning Edward.” Monya gave him a small smile. “I slept well last night. I heard it rained.”   
“Some of the rails are flooded.” Maria warned Edward’s driver. “We passed by a few swamped tracks. Pass through with caution.”  
“We’ll keep that in mind.” Edward’s driver said. “Thank you, Maria.”  
“I was telling Sir Topham Hat to add you to the rotation.” Edward told Monya. “You’ll be pulling the Express tomorrow morning. Sir Topham Hat will go with you to each station so that you can learn the route. You may pull it tomorrow.”  
More anxiety trickled into Monya’s boiler. She frowned and looked away.   
“What’s wrong?” Edward asked, worried.  
“I…” Monya started. How was she going to tell Edward that she could not pull the Express because she was too afraid too? That would sound so silly. The engine felt her wheels shake slightly.  
“Are you really sure I can pull the Express?” Monya finally asked. As she did, Sir Topham Hat strolled up to the two engines. “It’s been so long since I’ve pulled coaches. I’m not sure if I really can.”  
“Why do you doubt yourself?” The old engine furrowed his brow. “You are capable of pulling those coaches as you are freight cars. You need to have more confidence in yourself, Monya. Tearing yourself down is only going to make you feel worse.”  
“I just don’t trust that I’ll be any good or any fast.” Monya tried to counter, but Sir Topham Hat cleared his throat.  
“I trust that you can, Monya.” He said. “I can assure you that it will be difficult at first, but you’ll soon get the hang of it. Think of it like pulling the Express from, where was it to?”  
“Mostly New York City to Buffalo.” Monya answered. “With a few stops.”  
“Ah! You see?” Sir Topham Hat pointed out. “Now the Island of Sodor is a fair size compared to your home. Think of it as pulling coaches around there.”  
“There was a lot of snow and valleys and mountains-“  
“Sodor gets snow in the winter.” Sir Topham Hat cut her off. “You can do it Monya. Like Edward said, I’ll take you through the Main Line so that you can know the path. Signalmen will assist you. They know you will be taking the Express around tomorrow.”  
Monya bit her lip. She let out some steam and sighed softly. There was no getting out of this one. As much as Monya wanted to head home and not appear out of her shed ever again, that was not going to happen. She had to do her part in being a really useful engine on the Sodor Railway.   
“If it helps you a little, Henry pulled the Express when Gordon was getting his firebox cleaned out once.” Sir Topham Hat said. “At first, like you, he was not very sure of himself. However, he began to enjoy pulling the train and I got many reports about how friendly and how much smoother the ride was in compare to Gordon. I have him on rotation now because of that. Should you prove yourself well, you could once again pull an express train.”  
“I’ll do it sir.” Monya said, reluctantly. The Fat Controller and Edward smiled.   
“That’s the spirit, Monya!” Edward cheered. He blew his whistle and pulled away to get started on his work. “You can do it. Trust me.”  
Sir Topham Hat climbed into Monya’s cabin, with help of course. He shook Maria’s hand and the fireman’s before taking his clipboard. Monya’s fireman loaded her firebox with fresh coal and they started off.   
They kept on the Main Line until the sun rose to bright up the sky. Monya pulled onto the other track once she heard Gordon’s whistle. He thundered past, shooting her a look of contempt as he did. Monya gave him a nervous smile as he zoomed away. Monya knitted her brow, her anger boiling as she switched to the main track. She did not understand why Gordon did not like her. She was new here and just got to the island. What was his issue? Even if she wanted to ask, she was too scared to. Confrontation was something she would much rather avoid.   
“Ahead is the first station.” Sir Topham Hat informed. “Simply follow Gordon until the end of the line.”  
“Yes sir.” Monya replied. She did just that. As Sir Topham Hat explained the route, a few tracks were seen to still be underwater. Monya had to stop at a few signals so that her driver could be informed of the tracks that were washed out.   
“I hope Gordon and the other engines heeded those warnings as well.” Sir Topham Hat said gravely. “The rain last night was very heavy and it may rain some more tonight.”  
“Sir? Is there a place Monya can stay?” Maria inquired. “When we woke up at dawn, the shed was almost flooded because the lake behind us had swelled past the banks.”  
“That’s terrible. Once we are finished along the route, we’ll see if there is a shed available for you. Tidmouth Sheds is full, but we’ll see.”  
Monya passed the next station a few minutes after Gordon had pulled away with the coaches. A white helicopter passed over the train and over a few trees.   
“Who was that?” Monya asked.   
“That was Harold.” Sir Topham Hat answered. “You’ll see him patrolling the island from time to time. He looks out for danger from above.”  
“Ah I see.” A ghost of a smile appeared on Monya’s face. “Better to see things from a bird’s eye view.”  
“Quite right.” Maria agreed. They puffed on to the next station. Once they were finished with the entire route, Monya stopped to have a drink. Her driver was reviewing the clipboard that Sir Topham Hat gave her while her fireman helped bring the pipe to Monya’s tender to fill the tank. She heard a familiar whistle and a bright red engine pulled up beside.   
“Oh? James!” Monya exclaimed. “Good to see you again.”  
James had a smirk on his face. “I heard from a little bird, that someone is pulling the Express.”  
“Oh, uh. Yes.” Monya looked away, her face turning red.   
“No need to be embarrassed.” James reassured her. “I once pulled it myself you know. It’s no easy task for a regular engine. Splendid and important engines are usually the ones that take up pulling the express.”  
“I’m not pulling it forever.” Monya protested. “It’s just for one day.”  
“I know.” James replied. “I didn’t mean to say that you were unimportant. Us tender engines are the pride of the line after all.”  
“I don’t know about being the pride of this line.” Monya whispered, half to herself.   
“You are. You just need to put yourself out a little more.” James insisted. “Staying here by yourself all cooped up will make the others think that you are a ghost.”  
“I’m no ghost. I just prefer to…” Monya trailed off. James was right, but she did not want to admit it. “I prefer to be alone sometimes. I don’t want to be a bother to anyone.”  
“Well you certainly were to me!” A voice boomed. Monya shrunk back, eyes darting left and right to locate the voice. Gordon pulled up beside James.   
“What were you doing following me?” Gordon pried.   
“S-Sir Topham Hat was-“  
“Monya is going to pull the Express tomorrow.”   
“James!” Monya hissed through gritted teeth. “Why would you tell him?”  
“What? He already knows that you’re pulling the Express. I just like to rub it in a little more.”   
“I… I…” Monya started.   
“I know you are pulling the coaches, Monya.” Gordon groaned. “What I asked you was why you were following me around?”  
“S-sir Topham Hat was showing me the route of the Main line. I didn’t mean to.” Monya explained. She flinched when she heard Gordon groan in annoyance.   
“I could’ve taken you on the main line.” He hissed. “It would have been less troublesome to have you accompany me without trailing behind me.”  
“You sure about that?” James teased. “You would’ve left her behind. However, I would have shown her the route and more.”  
“I can go pretty fast.” Monya retorted.   
“You?” Gordon snorted and started to laugh. “You and Edward are both the slowest engines on this Island. I heard of your ‘record-breaking’ run. But can you go fast now after your rusty wheels have fallen away?”   
She should have said nothing. Monya slinked away, trying to ignore the jeers from Gordon. She pulled into the station, sighing in relief to be away from those two. She could not wait until she could go back her shed and hide. In fact, Monya was craving it right now, but she still had work to do for the rest of the day. Sir Topham Hat ordered her to go back to Edward on his branch line to assist him in bringing some more goods to the docks. Monya went to do just that.  
After several hours of pulling goods trains, Edward and Monya were resting in the yard. The sky had begun to turn orange from the sun beginning to set. The two of them watched other engines go by while making small talk.   
“You ready to pull the Express tomorrow?” Edward asked. “Think you can handle it?”  
“I… I don’t know.” Monya did not want Edward to lecture her again. “I guess we’ll have to see tomorrow.”  
“I saw Gordon and James confront you by the water tower.” Edward pried. “Did they bother you any?”  
“James tried to ‘encourage me’ somewhat.” Monya answered. “Gordon just teased me.”  
Edward let out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to him the night before. He fell asleep before I could get a word in. I do apologize Monya.”  
“It’s not your fault Edward. I just embarrassed myself in front of him.”   
“What do you mean?”  
“I said, ‘I can go fast.’” Monya admitted. “It was just a stupid comment to make. I shouldn’t have said a single word.”  
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Edward comforted her. “You’ll prove yourself to Gordon soon enough. Who knows? He might be in need of your assistance again someday.”  
A high pitched whistle tooted behind the blue engine. A small green tank engine strolled up.   
“Hello there.” The little engine greeted cheerfully. Monya smiled at the engine.  
“This is Percy, Monya.” Edward introduced the little engine. “He wanted to meet you.”  
“I heard about your adventures.” Percy said. “Is it true that you actually went over one hundred (100) miles? And that you were the first ever engine to do so?”  
“It is.” Monya replied. “I think.”  
“Will you ever tell us the story at the shed whenever you have the chance?” Percy asked.  
“I-I could. If you’ll have me.”  
“Oh sure. You’re welcome to come to Tidmouth Shed to tell us the story when you’d like.”  
“Speaking of sheds…” Monya spoke up. “Edward? You wouldn’t happen to know about any other shed around here that is completely empty right?”  
“I can’t say that I’ve seen any around.” Edward replied, deep in thought. “Well, there is an abandoned one near the scrapyards, but I don’t think you would want to stay close to there.”  
“N-no.” Monya shivered. Being anywhere near a scrapyard reminded her of the days when she was left in one to rot away. Counting the days, not knowing which day would be her final one. Seeing the other engines in the scrapyard get pulled into a workshop to never come out again. The worst part of it all was hearing the screams of the other engines while they were being cut open.   
“Where exactly do you stay?” Edward inquired, breaking Monya out of her thoughts. “At the end of the day, you seem to disappear. Vanish like a…. A ghost.”  
“G-ghost?!” Percy squeaked, his wheels tensing up.   
“No ghosts Percy.” Monya reassured the little tank engine. “They aren’t real. At least I don’t think they are. I don’t believe in them so much.”  
“They are real!” Percy clashed. “I saw one a few nights ago. It was all ghostly and glowing. A-and it sounded like it was singing something. It was really frightening.”   
“Has it appeared again?” Edward questioned.  
“N-no. I sure hope it stays that way.” Percy replied, fear still making his wheels shake.  
“You stay alone, Monya.” Edward pointed out. “Be careful out in the night.”  
“Ghosts won’t get me.” Monya smiled reassuringly at the both of them. “I’ve been through worse than seeing ghosts.”  
Later that evening, it had begun to rain again. The cool fall air blew a few leaves onto the track, making it a bit treacherous to chug through too fast. Monya slowed down because of that, skidding for a few feet because of the slippery tracks. She followed the route of the Express one more time and was still nervous about pulling it. Monya kept reminding herself that it would only be for one day. However, she still felt scared.   
“I’ve got to stop feeling this way. I can do this.” Monya tightened her lips. “I’ve got to.”


	7. Really Quiet Engine - Trouble On The Express Line

The shed Monya had found was close to the harbor. The sounds of the waves were calming and it lulled Mona straight to sleep. Though when she woke up the next morning, Monya did not feel too good. She thought she had gotten seasick from the waves, but that was not the case this time. Her boiler felt strange and fuzzy, as if there were cobwebs inside of her. Maria checked inside her boiler to see what was wrong and looked at her pressure gauges.

“Everything reads normal.” Maria informed Monya. “Maybe a good run will get your boiler feeling better. You do have to run the express today, right kiddo?”

That made Monya feel a bit more nervous than before, but she knew she had to do her job and be a really useful engine. Maria patted the side of Monya’s cabin as the fireman filled Monya up with coal. Once she got started, Monya blew her whistle and headed to the station to get ready to pull the Express.

Once Monya arrived at the station, the other engines were already hard at work. She pulled into the station, just as Edward left with his freight cars. He spotted her and blew his whistle in greeting.

“Good luck, Monya!” Edward called. “Wait for Thomas or Percy to fetch the coaches for you.”

“Thank you, Edward.” Monya spotted a water tower and decided to fill up her tank before she went about her job. She still felt a little funny in her boiler. However, it was gradually fading away thankfully. Just then, Gordon rumbled in and pulled up beside her.

“You don’t look too good, Monya.” Gordon said. “You look like at any point, you’ll fall off your wheels. Are you sure you feel capable of pulling the Express?”

“I-I…” Monya started, her face turning a bit red. Her boiler began to ache again, making her wince slightly. She hoped Gordon did not notice it.

“I’ll at least give you some advice. You’ve pulled an express before, but this one is a bit different.” Gordon said. “Speed up when you get to the hill. The Express is very heavy and you may stall if you go too slow or stop on the way up.”

“I-Okay.” Monya said. “Thank you Gordon.”

“Now if you’ll excuse me.” The bigger engine puffed away. Monya watched him go and she heard a whistle behind her. Thomas had pulled in with the Express coaches. Monya gently backed up to them and was coupled on. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she remembered pulling the Empire State Express coaches. She smiled to herself as she waited for all the passengers to board. They were not sure of Monya at first, but they got on, taking their luggage and suitcases with them. Thomas pulled up beside Monya.

“You look pretty happy today.” The little tank engine pointed out.

“As she should be.” Sir Topham Hat pointed out as he walked out onto the platform. “All jobs that my engines do here are important. However, running the Express is one of the difficult ones. I will be aboard to see how well you do, Monya.”

“Y-yes sir.” Monya felt her boiler bubbling. She was still excited, but very tense. _That fuzzy feeling is still there._ Monya thought as she let off some steam. She heard the conductor shutting the doors of the coaches. Her anxiety was building, but her wheels were itching to go already.

The whistle blew and the flag waved green. The conductor leapt onto one of the coaches and Monya blew her whistle. She started off, trying to make sure she did not bump the coaches or jerk the passengers. That was a difficult task for her when she had her bigger wheels. It was also difficult to start as well as Monya needed to be nudged to start. However, her wheels were no longer on her, having long since been replaced with normal sized wheels.

As she pulled out of the station, Maria grabbed a string and began to pull it. The bell on top of Monya’s boiler clanged steadily as she chuffed through the yard. Sir Topham Hat stuck his head out the window, holding onto his hat. The other passengers were unsure of her still, but they gradually relaxed as Monya began to pick up speed. Monya wished she could go as fast as she did when she had heard bigger wheels. However, her parts were long gone. _Someday I will need them once again._

Within the timeframe, Monya arrived at the first station. She slowed down to a stop as smoothly as she could. The doors of the Express coaches opened up to let the passengers off. She watched them go about their business, a little anxious that they might say something about missing either Gordon or Henry. Or about how she looked incapable if pulling the train. That made her boiler ache a little bit more than it did in the morning. Monya winced in pain again. She hoped none of the passengers noticed as they walked by her through the station.

More people boarded the Express. It was not long before the doors were shut and the conductor blew his whistle again. Monya started again, slightly struggling a bit to get started, but she managed to pull away from the station. She picked up speed on a straight track. The feeling of the wind buffeting her face as her wheels went faster and faster was so familiar. Monya craved to go much faster, but alas, she did not have her driving wheels. Though it was for a good reason as she did not want the passengers to get jerked about whenever she moved.

A few engines passed by, two black tender engines that looked alike and a wide green engine that appeared to waddle as he went by. Monya watched them go as she pulled into the next station. Several passengers got off and some more entered the coaches. It was not long until Monya felt a shock from her boiler once more. She gasped and groaned in pain.

Just then, Henry appeared, pulling some heavy freight. He noticed Monya and whistled to her, a smile on his face. However, the smile soon faded when he saw how miserable she looked. Her face was flushed red and when she released steam, a weird sound came afterwards.

“M-Monya?” Henry winced as he heard the wheezing noise. It died down as he pulled up a bit closer to Monya. She looked to Henry, her face twisted with worry. “It’s been like this the whole day. This happened before and I thought it was over and done with years ago.”

“If this has happened before, why don’t you go to the Steamworks to figure out what’s wrong?” Henry suggested. “It could get serious if you don’t figure out what’s happening.”

“I want to.” Monya gritted her teeth. “But I have to pull the Express. Sir Topham Hat is on board and I don’t want to let him down the first day I’m pulling the train.”

“Better if you go than wait until it gets worse.” Henry insisted. “Sir Topham Hat can get either me, Gordon or James to finish pulling the Express.”

Before Monya could answer, the conductor blew his whistle and Henry started off. Monya watched his line of freight disappear before looking forward to the tracks again. She really wanted to go to the Steamworks to get herself checked out, but she had to finish her job. Maybe it was better if she went after she finished taking the Express. Better in between the break from pulling the morning express to the afternoon. Another fuzzy feeling told Monya otherwise, but she had to press forward. The next station was just over the hill that Gordon got stuck on. Monya took a deep breath and exhaled. It was going to be a difficult journey up, but she had to get past that obstacle to get to her next destination.

Monya pumped her pistons as fast as she could. The heavy coaches held her back somewhat, but Monya kept pulling. She gritted her teeth, heaving and pulling the heavy coaches. When Monya got to the top of the hill, her wheels slipped, nearly causing her to slide down the hill.

“No!” She hissed. Monya gave one last heave and crested the hill. A sigh of relief from both Monya and her driver, and down they went. Maria applied the brakes to help slow Monya down as she descended. The coaches pushed against Monya, driving her forward and having her pick up speed. However, Monya’s brakes held up. She exhaled and kept control. Once they passed the hill however, a sharp pain shot through Monya’s boiler. She squealed in pain as steam hissed from inside her cabin. Maria inspected the pressure gauge and her eyes widened.

“I have to stop!” Monya cried out. “I feel like I’m going to burst! It hurts!”

Upon hearing that, Maria swiftly shut off steam. She applied the brakes and slowed Monya down to a full stop. Monya winced as her boiler ached again. She felt very sick and it showed. Liquid had started to foam and leak out of her boiler and it groaned. Monya started to sob, too in pain to keep moving. The conductor quickly uncoupled Monya from the coaches. The steam engine practically dragged herself to a siding a ways away from the station. She huffed and panted, coming to a full stop. Steam billowed from her boiler and her smoke box.

Maria put up several red flags around the siding to warn other engines. Sir Topham Hat rushed towards Monya, a concerned expression on his face.

“What’s going on, driver?” The Fat Controller fretted. Maria held him back from approaching the train. “Why has Monya left the Express?”

“Her boiler is having issues, sir.” Maria warned. “Pressure is building up, but it seems to have lessened. Still, it is best to be cautious.”

“Oh.” Sir Topham Hat’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh dear. That’s not good.”

The Fat Controller headed back to the station and phoned in a few people before returning to the train. The passengers started to get impatient. He promised them that a new train would be coming soon to pull the Express once again.

“Your patience is appreciated.” He said, that line having been said one too many times. The Fat Controller headed back to Monya who was red in the face from crying.

“Are you cross with me, sir?” Monya asked, her voices traced with fear. She panted heavily from the pain in her boiler. Sir Topham Hat only looked at her, concerned and worried.

“I am not, Monya.” He said. “I am very troubled that you did not alert us of the problem beforehand. How long has this trouble been going on, driver?”

“Since this morning sir.” Maria informed him. “I checked everything from her valves, to her boiler to her gauges and firebox. Nothing was wrong with her from what I saw. I checked all that I could think of.”

“Hmm. We’ll have to get her to the Steamworks right away.” Sir Topham Hat said gravely. “I’ve called for two engines to come and resume service and to get Monya. She’ll need another thorough inspection. Henry will have to pull the express for the rest of the day. Gordon will take you to the Steamworks as he is one of the strongest who can pull you there.”

Monya really did not want Gordon to see her. She was afraid he would tease her about not being able to continue pulling the Express and think less of her for it. She really wanted to run away and not be seen by anyone. Damn being back at the museum and being a static display for the rest of her life. She just wanted to disappear and never be seen again.

Several minutes later, Monya heard a familiar whistle. She looked to see it was Henry who had come to pick up the Express. The green engine spotted her on a siding and chuffed up to her.

“Are you okay, Monya?” Henry asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“I should’ve gone to the Steamworks when you told me to, Henry.” Monya wheezed and coughed. “I’m sorry for causing such a fuss. I’ll probably be scrapped now.”

“What?” Henry gasped. “No, y-you won’t be scrapped! R-right Sir Topham Hat, sir? Tell her!”

“Of course not.” Sir Topham Hat replied. “However, Monya will need to be checked over. Gordon should be here soon.”

Just as he said that, a low-pitched whistled echoed. Gordon rolled up beside Henry. Monya tried to hide from him, but it was pointless. The bigger engine already saw her. Henry pulled away with the Express, still worrying about his companion. However, he had to go, leaving Monya and Gordon behind.

“Gordon, could you please take Monya to the Steamworks?” Sir Topham Hat ordered. “She needs help right away.”

Gordon was about to argue, but he could see Monya looked miserable. He felt very sorry for her and a little concerned, but he was too proud to admit it.

“I-Very well, sir.” Gordon sighed. He started off and lined himself on the siding where Monya was. He backed up and lightly bumped her. Maria coupled him to Monya.

“Ready to go, Gordon.” She announced, patting the side of Gordon’s tender. She climbed into Monya’s cabin along with the fireman.

“Oh, the indignity!” Gordon groaned to himself. He pulled Monya with him and headed straight for the Steamworks. The ride there was quiet, save for a few soft whimpers from Monya when they hit a bump on the track. Hearing them, Gordon went much slower and took more care. Once they arrived at the Steamworks, Gordon was uncoupled from Monya and moved onto another track. Once he was behind her, he pushed her in and the workman started to inspect Monya. The bigger engine left to finish the rest of the jobs that he had for the day.

At the end of the day, Monya was feeling a bit better. Though she still felt some traces of pain, it was not as bad as before. Gordon had returned from finishing his jobs for the day. Henry had asked him too, he thought as he pulled in. It was true as Henry was busy getting ready to pull The Flying Kipper. However, something compelled him to go without much argument. He did not know what it was, but he may as well make Henry happy by making sure the newcomer was alright.

“It’s a good thing you came to us when you did Monya.” Victor told her solemnly. “You had a lot of pressure and foreign objects in your boiler. If it were to increase anymore, it could have resulted in a severe accident.”

Monya was too afraid to ask what sort of accident Victor was talking about though she had an idea. She kept silent while the repairmen worked about, fixing her boiler and reinstalling her pressure gauges.

“Henry was right.” Maria sighed, looking at Monya sadly. “We should have gone much sooner and asked someone else who wascapable enough to take the express.”

“I just wanted to prove to Sir Topham Hat and be really useful.” Monya felt tears well up in her eyes. She bit her lip to try and keep herself from crying in front of everyone.

“You proved yourself just fine, Monya.” Maria reassured the engine. “However, pushing yourself like this will only ‘cause you a lot of trouble. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need to.”

“But when I do, I get funny looks.” Monya countered. “They look at me funny or look at me like I have the gall to be asking another for help. Then they talk down to me as if I am no more than a silly little engine who does not know anything at all.”

“That’s over there, _trensita (little train)._ But now you’re here.” Maria argued. “I was scared at first too when I got here. I was on my own. However, when I needed it, I made sure to ask for help. You aren’t inconveniencing anyone.”

“For someone with a poor boiler, you sure went pretty fast back there. I’m surprised you didn’t fall apart.” Gordon sneered at Monya.

“That’s not necessary, Gordon.” Victor snapped.

“Don’t do that to yourself again.” Gordon warned, ignoring Victor’s remark. “Sir Topham Hat needs all his engines to be useful. You can’t be useful with a popped boiler.”

“Right.” Monya murmured sadly.

“That being said,” Gordon continued, a smirk playing at his lips. “You did pretty well with what you managed today. Colour me impressed. Sir Topham Hat says that he’ll put you on the rotation with me and Henry. You’d best be in top condition to pull the Express again.”

“I-I will be.” A small smile appeared on Monya’s lips. She blushed slightly and looked away, hoping Gordon did not see. He did, but he said nothing about it.

“I did not get a chance to truly welcome you to Sodor nor introduce each other.” Gordon said. “Let’s start over. Welcome to the Island of Sodor. I am Gordon, the big engine as some call me. I am the one who mostly pulls the Express. It’ll be a pleasure working with you.”

“I’m Monya. I also pull the express and I used to pull another where I was from a few years back. I’m happy to be working alongside one of the strongest engines on Sodor. I hope we can be friends?”

Gordon only chuckled. “Likewise.”


End file.
